In recent years the beverage industry has been revolutionized by the wide use of plastic resealable containers. The reclosable tops on these containers retain carbonation efficiently; insulated walls reduce beverage temperature changes. The dull plastic spouts are significantly safer in the hands of children than the sharp metal edges of cans.
Despite these advantages over conventional glass bottles and metal cans, plastic containers create significant disposal and recycling problems. The stability and non-biodegradability of plastic makes landfill disposal impractical. Recycling costs for plastic polymers are significantly higher than those for glass or metal containers. The environmental problems surrounding the use of plastics foreshadow a possible return to conventional metal packaging technology in the beverage industry. However, the problems of metal can reclosability and maintenance of beverage temperature must be solved in an economically acceptable manner. Safety concerns present in metal containers must be addressed for the protection of consumers.